Majority Want Marathons, Parades Off City Streets

TORONTO July 2nd, 2014 - In a random
sampling of public opinion taken by the Forum Poll™ among 1182 Toronto Voters,
the majority approve of having marathons, parades and walkathons take place in
city parks rather than closing city streets and expressways (55%). One quarter
do not approve of this idea (24%) and a similar proportion have no opinion
(22%). Approval of off-road marathons and parades is common to the oldest (55+
- 59%), the least wealthy (65%), residents of North York (63%) and Scarborough
(61%) but not the downtown, where most marathons take place (46%), among
drivers (61%), college grads (60%), those who approve of Rob Ford (67%) and
would vote for him (68%) as well as John Tory voters (63%) and those who voted
PC in the last election (70%).

"It is clear that the
majority of Toronto residents have experienced the closed streets and blocked
thoroughfares on a summer weekend that make getting around Toronto harder than
it already is. They see the utility of placing the multiple marathons and marches
Toronto supports in parks like Exhibition Place or Downsview, where there is
plenty of room and no traffic to impede," said Forum Research President, Dr. Lorne
Bozinoff.

Lorne Bozinoff,
Ph.D. is the president and founder of Forum Research. He can be reached at lbozinoff@forumresearch.com or at (416)
960-9603.